The invention relates to a server-based computing system, comprising at least one server and at least one client computer, connected to the server through a network, wherein the server comprises means for providing the client computer with a user interface, wherein the client computer comprises an input device for providing input to an application and a display device for presenting output from an application through the user interface, wherein the server comprises means for running the application, wherein the client computer comprises means for locally running at least one further application.
The invention further relates to a method for providing a client computer with a user interface for controlling at least one application that can be run locally on the client computer, which client computer is connected to a server through a network and comprises a display device, an input device and means for running the application.
Known systems of the above-mentioned kind are capable of providing a user interface to the client computer, enabling the client computer to control an application running on the server. Such a set-up is useful in networks containing several client computers. Applications are all installed on the server and can thus be centrally managed, updated, etc. Because the client computers only process the input from the user and present output from the application to the user, they can be very simple. They can, for example, be equipped with small hard disks or none at all and little processing power. Consequently, such client computers are known as thin clients.
However, it is not always wise or possible to rely only on server-based computing. It is sometimes desirable to run applications locally on the client. In existing systems, such applications have to be initialised separately. The user shuts down the user interface provided by the server and separately starts up the second, locally running, application.
In the known system and known method of the kind mentioned above, the client computer generates a user interface for controlling the locally running application. This gives scope for confusion, since a user has to clearly distinguish between user interfaces, remember separate functions, get used to different visual aids, etc. Without careful management and updating of all the client computers, a situation can easily arise wherein each client computer attached to the network has its own user interface. The situation can become even more confusing for the user when multiple monitors display different sessions to the user. For example, one monitor may display the local desktop of the client computer while another monitor may display a remote session provided by the server.